Muzzle brakes affect on accuracy?

Hi everyone I'm new here i've been hanging around for a couple of weeks readin ,great site! Any way I have a savage 112 in 25-06 it shoots half inch 3 shot groups @100 with 75gr horn. v-max and 57gr of rl-19 . What affect would having a muzzle brake installed have on accuracy of this load. Would Ineed to adjust powder,seating depth, ect.I'd just hate to put the brake on and find out it wouldn't shoot those little clover leaf groups any more.

I can't immagine it changing the load you shoot in the gun. Whatever works best without it will be the best with it.

I think that putting a brake on can make you do a better or worse job of shooting the gun, but I don't really believe they do anything but make the gun recoil less, and shoot worse if installed incorrectly (seldom if ever happens).

__________________
If you have something that you disassemble and reassemble enough times, sooner or later, you'll have two!

Location: The rifle range, or archery range or behind the computer in Alaska

Posts: 3,595

Re: Muzzle brakes affect on accuracy?

First of all welcome to this site. You will find much good info around here.

To answer your question directly, adding a muzzle brake can change the way your barrel vibrates. This may or may not change the way your load performs. In any event, if you are getting good groups now, they most likely can be had after a brake is added. It is possible a slight change in powder weight may be needed to repeat the tight groups.

Brakes also add to your shooting comfort. Comfort = accuracy. A brake can also add better accuracy to your rifle by diverting the muzzle blast away from the bullet upon its exit.

Hope that helps some.

__________________
__________________
Long range shooting is a process that ends with a result. Once you start to focus on the result (how bad your last shot was, how big the group is going to be, what your buck will score, what your match score is, what place you are in...) then you loose the capacity to focus on the process.

Moto, hanging a weight on the end of your barrel will definitely change the harmonic pattern it vibrates in. Your bullet will leave the barrel at a different location on that curve.

If you've carefully worked up a load for maximum accuracy, then it's very likely that you'll need to go back to the drawing board, at least on the powder charge, to gain maximum accuracy. If you end up shooting just as well with the same load after your brake is installed, please let us know. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones!

Thanks alot for the replies. As soon as funds come togather i'm planning on getting one from SSS good choice? better ones out there? sorry so many questions. This will be my first brake did shoot a friends 300mag w with a boss system thought it was very cool. could almost spot your shots the dust any way

Hi Motoguy, welcome. I'm new here myself. I've had brakes put on four different rifles from a 6/284 to a .300 jarret. They all worked great. Recoil was significantly reduced, and accuracy was not negatively affected. I know I shoot better with less recoil. I'm thinking I may have one put on my new 22-250 so I can see impact. I'm a believer.